The Enchanter and The Lion

Chapter 19 - The Truth

**Note: The following Chapter may have triggers for any who have suffered abuse.**

They finally approached Haven and Maeve dismounted wearily and walked Kizi to the stable. She removed the saddle and bridle and rubbed her down gently. She fed her an apple that she had left over in her pack and wrapped her arms around the mare's neck. "Wish me luck, Kizi." The mare snorted and she took that as a horse's version of that sentiment.

She was equal parts eager to see Cullen again and dreading the conversation to come, but when she asked a soldier his whereabouts, she was informed that he had ridden out with a hunting party and wasn't due back for several hours. She thanked the woman and decided to take advantage of the time she had to herself to take a hot bath. 

She soaked all the aches from her muscles and scrubbed all the grime from her body. She dressed in a long-sleeved, wine colored dress with a lace up bodice. She pulled half her hair back into a braid so that it was out of her face, but left the rest to cascade around her shoulders. It was how she preferred to wear it, but was impractical for all the travel and combat she was embroiled in, so she rarely did anymore. 

The sun was setting behind the mountains as she finished, and it wouldn't be long now. Her stomach was in knots, so she decided to try a meditation technique that First Enchanter Cedric had taught her. 

She knelt on the rug in the center of the room sitting back on her heels. She cupped her hands in front of her face and called a small flame into being. Electricity or ice would have been easier, but she needed the focus of a challenge, so she picked her weakest element. She slowed her breathing and focused on expanding the flame as she breathed in and contracting it as she breathed out. The exercise was one of control - to draw enough from the Fade to maintain the flame, but keep balance between the draw and her mana levels so as not to deplete herself. Once she had it controlled with her eyes open, she closed them. Now she had to do it all based on the feel of the magical energies flowing and not by sight, which made it more difficult. 

She didn't know how long she had been meditating, but she peripherally became aware of a knock at her door. "Come in," she said as she worked on slowly coming back to herself to release the spell.

Cullen walked in at her invitation and stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn't seen her in several weeks, which may have affected his opinion, but he was fairly certain he had never seen a more beautiful thing in his life. She knelt serenely on the floor with her skirt splayed around her. The color of the dress made her skin and hair seem darker and was most definitely lower cut than anything he had seen her in before. He fought to take his eyes away from the swell of her breasts as they slowly rose and fell with her breathing. The small flame that flickered between her hands danced in her eyes as they slowly opened. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders in soft waves, daring him to run his hands through it. 

"Forgive my intrusion," he said stiffly, as she released the flame and rose smoothly to her feet. 

"I did say to come in, Cullen," she smiled, "It was no intrusion." 

"Right," he smiled tentatively back at her. 

She took a deep breath and asked, "You still want to know the reason for my reaction?" 

He met her eyes, "Only if you're willing to tell me, Maeve. If you don't want to talk now, but change your mind later, or if you never want to talk about it...I'll still be here." He had closed the distance between them to only a few feet without even realizing it. 

She gazed up at him searching his face. "You deserve the truth," she finally said. "But it will change how you see and think of me." 

Cullen took another half step toward her and was fairly certain she leaned closer, too. "I find that hard to believe," he whispered.